


226 - Study Helper Van

by storiesaboutvan



Category: Catfish and the Bottlemen (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mini Fic, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 17:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17390861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesaboutvan/pseuds/storiesaboutvan
Summary: Based on this Insta post: https://www.instagram.com/p/BVe7D74jC2_/?taken-by=theblankfuture





	226 - Study Helper Van

He was jetlagged and not at all in the right cognitive state to be helping you study for exams. Despite your constant arguments of those points, Van stayed up. He stirred instant coffee into hot water and pulled his chair closer to yours. "Tell me about it then," he said, laying his head on his arms on the table and looking up at your with bloodshot and red rimmed eyes. There were dark circles under them, and that little red mark that appeared as a physical indicator of exhaustion was visible on his cheek. From the lounge room, Death Cab played and the wind picked up outside. As the glass in the windows rattled and Van stayed persistent, you gave in. 

"Bio… Gotta know all the veins and ligaments and stuff," you replied, turning to a clean page in your notebook. Van nodded, then watched as you traced your arm and hand onto the paper and began to illustrate the anatomy. The diagram was not to scale and was mostly an exercise in copying from textbooks, rather than anything more useful.

"Got an idea. Here," he said, holding his arm out flat in front of you, blocking your pen from making any more scratchings on the paper. "Label me."

You smiled and would have given him more if you had the time and energy. All you had was your compliance, but that meant a lot in the context of you.

Van's pale skin provided the perfect canvas for your red and blue biro veins, for your highlighter muscles and multicoloured details. He watched you work, then you watched him flex and twinkle his fingers. It brought to life the movement of the biology. It anchored the learning in your episodic memory, therefore making it more likely to be recalled in the exam on Friday. He was a genius and you loved it. 

"This is cool," Van said as he read the words written on his arm and hand. His head tilted and you wondered why he didn't just twist his arm instead. "You just, remember all this stuff?"

"Ah… almost. Getting there. This was a good idea, Van. Really helpful,"

"Yeah? See? I can do more than make ya tea and change the record when you study."

When you went to bed later that night, Van passed out quickly. The storm was picking up and with fingers crossed, you hoped maybe the exams would be cancelled and somehow everyone would be given high distinctions by default. In the warm glow of the bedside lamp, you traced the lines you'd drawn on Van's body and committed them and him to memory.

The next morning, you'd wake to find the ink transferred from arm to his cheek, the crisscrossed patterns connecting his freckles in geometric patterns. 

After a Special K breakfast, Van dropped into the seat next to you.

"What part of me do you need today?"


End file.
